A ‘Festive Holiday Feast’ of comfort food

MAC 24/7 Bar & Restaurant may be most famous for its colossal pancakes, but it has so much more to offer in the way of gourmet comfort food. For starters, every other meal the eatery serves also comes in a huge serving; the service at MAC 24/7 is through-the-roof amazing; and well, the food is so delicious that you’ll want to keep coming back to try all the dishes.

And if that doesn’t get you through the doors, MAC 24/7’s ongoing events definitely will. On Christmas Day, for instance, the establishment is hosting a Festive Holiday Feast buffet from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The buffet will include Hawaiian Sea Salt Crusted Prime Rib, Hawaiian Braised Short Ribs with Wild Mushrooms, Seven-Cheese Mac n Cheese, a MAC-daddy Pancake Station with 10 toppings, and more. The buffet is $45 for adults and $18 for keiki under 12.

Hawaiian Boneless Short Ribs ($23)

Fried Chicken & Waffles ($18.50)

Barbecue Kalua Pork Nachos ($16 regular, $12 happy hour)

This week, executive chef James Aptakin shares his famed Hawaiian Boneless Short Ribs ($23) with Dining Out. Similar to the short ribs that will be offered at the Festive Holiday Feast — sans wild mushrooms — this dish is a customer favorite. It is “demiyaki”-braised for 12 hours and served with crème fraiche garlic mashed potatoes and fresh island veggies.

“I make teriyaki and demi (glace) from scratch, and if they were to have a baby, you’d get demiyaki,” explains Aptakin.

This is the first time the restaurant has offered food items on its happy hour menu and these nachos cannot be overlooked. Made with tri-colored tortilla chips, barbecue kalua pork, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, black olives, green onions and avocado are covered in double-layered poblano beer cheese and topped with sour cream.

Aptakin takes pride in putting a little Spanish twist on his kalua pork. “We take a Spanish-style sofrito and put a little bit of chipotle … It’s got something a little more electrified than your original kalua pork,” says Aptakin.